


Blue Sooths

by uncaringrose



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I wrote this really fast, M/M, Other Characters Are Mentioned, broganes, he misses his brother, keith is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 09:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11688897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncaringrose/pseuds/uncaringrose
Summary: “Have you… ever lost someone?”The other boy was silent for a moment.“Yes.”





	Blue Sooths

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I wrote this in like 2 hours, so sorry if it seems rushed. I just felt like writing a comfort fic.

The others were trying. They really were. They were trying to hold it together as best as they could. Allura was doing her best to help him lead- knowing it wasn’t his finest trait. Pidge would still prod him with sassy comments. And Hunk and Coran tried telling jokes to lighten the mood. 

Keith felt so guilty.

He felt guilty, because he kept clashing heads with Allura. He kept silent when Pidge would sass him. And he’d leave the room when the jokes would start. He felt empty. Lost. He felt….

“We need to try and form Voltron,” Allura said, looking down at her food goo rather sadly. But she still sounded determined. “The universe can’t wait forever.”

“It can wait a little longer,” Keith found himself snapping. His hair looked like a mess, and he knew he had bags under his eyes. He hadn’t slept well. “It's only been a week. We’ll find him.”  _ Shiro _ . He had yet to be able to say his name. It felt like a weight in his mouth.

The first time he hopped into Black, he had almost puked. The other man’s presence was heavy and suffocating. She didn’t purr like Red. No. The Black lion was a little too serious for that. She grunted. Grunted when he did something right, sighed when he did something wrong. Maybe Shiro had found it comforting, but Keith felt like he was walking on glass.

“Keith-,” the Princess tried, but Keith suddenly stood. His plate barely eaten off of. Her glassy eyes tried meeting his, but he just turned and stomped out of the room. Letting his legs go into autopilot.

The others watched with sad eyes as he left. Lance excused himself, but nobody noticed.

When he ended up in front of the Black lion, he wasn’t really surprised. He only felt defeated. Black was a fine lion- but she wasn’t  _ his  _ lion. And it felt wrong to sit where he sat. It made him sick to his stomach. 

She stared down at him. Perhaps questioning. Her presence in his mind wasn’t warm like Red’s- who hadn’t purred in his mind since the swap- but was more lukewarm. It was heavy, like someone had placed a bag of sand on his brain. It was uncomfortable when he focused on it.

Black had been the presence Shiro carried. Vast and knowing. Ancient and safe. Keith had always thought the other acted much older than he was.  _ Born with an old soul _ , he had heard an older instructor say when talking about Takashi. Maybe that was why Keith had latched onto him. He was a solid structure. Because Keith, for all purposes, was red. Blazing and impatient. Young and stupid. Reckless. He was a fire that couldn’t be put out, but could burn and burn. Shiro was able to help him, guide him, to control it. Because the other- no, his  _ brother _ \- was like a void that would only take the flames. Put them away, but never burned down. 

The Black lion was not red. And she was not a substitute for Shiro. It was like she was trying to completely extinguish the flames, so as to make him a void as well. But not just anybody could be a void and be as great as a person as Shiro. Voids had the tendency to tuck everything away. Sometimes even the things that make a person a person. A special type of person knew how to control the void and remain true.

_ Shiro.  _

He didn’t hear the hangar door open.

Keith sat down, gazing at the Black lion as he thought. It would distract him.

Pidge was like a forest, he thought. Full of life and potential, but could easily succumb to the flames of anger and passion. She could harmonize with herself, remaining focused while being patient. She could be quiet, but in a flash could be shaking the walls. She stored everything- her thoughts a large body of information. She was stable, but fragile at times if things fell out of order.

Allura reminded him of a snowstorm. Pretty, but could leave you buried. Could go from calming to raging, able to destroy what she needed. Her words could turn to ice, and her decisions were as detrimental as icebergs. 

Hunk was a rock. Important where it’s needed, but also able to crack. He wasn’t perfect. He had odd curves on his surface, because he was unique. If needed, he could act as a weapon to protect those he loved. But could also offer a comfortable weight. 

Coran was like a field. Open and different. Never knowing what could spring up, but delightful anyways. Comforting in times of distress.

And Lance-

“You should get some sleep,” a soft voice said, and Keith turned to look at Lance. But the other didn’t look much better than himself. His eyes were far off and he had bags under them, but he tried hiding it with his usual smile.

“I’m not tired,” the other replied. Lance sighed, walking over to sit beside him.

“Me neither.”

It was quiet, but not awkward like Keith thought it would be. They were both staring at Black, but she had gone to sleep it appeared. 

“Can I ask you something?” Keith spoke up, hugging his knees close. 

“Yeah, man.”

“Have you… ever lost someone?”

The other boy was silent for a moment.

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“My grandma.” The blue paladin looked at his teammate, taking in his state. “I was ten. She had helped raise me, since my father was usually working the field and mom needed an extra hand. She’d let me help her cook, and she’d read to me when there was nothing left to do.”

“She sounds nice.”

“She was. When she died, I cried for days. In a lot of ways, she was my best friend. She never judged me. She’d listen to me talk about my dreams and said that she loved my vivid imagination. She made me promise that I would live my life to the fullest.” Lance took a shaky breath. “When she passed away, after I had avoided food for nearly two days and my cheeks felt stiff from the tears, my father pulled me off to the side. I could tell he was sad too. We all were. But he looked me in the eye and said ‘Is this how she’d want you to live? Crying and allowing yourself to wither away?’”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh? It had been two days.” Keith felt himself trapped in the other’s words. Lance let out a humorless laugh.

“My father is not a perfect man. He was used to hiding his emotions. In fact, the day after grandma died, he went to work like usual. My mom had to handle the funeral arrangements.” Lance leaned back, putting his weight on his hands. He was looking at Keith now- Black forgotten. “But he wasn’t quite wrong. Two weeks later, when my tears finally went dry and my appetite had returned, I thought about what he had said. After that, I did everything I could to make my grandma proud. My father was angry at me for taking so long, but my momma was quick to defend me. She said ‘tears are medicine for the heart.’” Blue eyes watered. “I don’t know if my father ever cried, though. He probably needed to, but wouldn’t allow himself to.”

Keith looked down at his hands, allowing the oddly refreshing feeling of Lance sitting beside him seep into him. He thought about the other’s words, and felt the corners of his eyes prickle.

“Do you think she’s right?” he found himself asking. Lance looked at him softly but questioningly. “That tears are medicine for the heart?” It sounded so cheesy. Something you’d find on an inspirational mug, or on a poster in a therapist’s office.

“Well. I think keeping yourself from crying will do more harm than good. So, yes, I think the statement is true.” The shorter teen felt the tears start to fall, slowly. Lance shifted. “Come here.” An arm wrapped around Keith’s shoulders and he was being pulled. He slid into Lance’s side, almost like a puzzle piece. He buried his face into the other’s shoulder, the tears falling much faster. 

“I don’t want to do this, Lance,” Keith whispered, clinging to the other’s jacket with one fist. Long fingers fell into his hair, carding through it. His chest hurt. “He’s the only family I have left. I don’t know-” His sob choked him, and his throat felt metallic. He wasn’t sure if he could speak.

Lance smoothed a hand down his back, allowing Keith to babble into his shoulder. Hushing him when he tried forcing words that didn’t want to come out. “I know, Keith. I know.” Later, when Keith calmed down, Lance would tell him that they were his family. All of them. That they would be here with him through everything. That he could count on them to keep him afloat. 

But now was not the time for advice or revelations. Now was the time to listen and sooth. To offer an ear and a hug, but not many words. Keith would move further into his lap, his tears not letting up for a long time.

Lance was an ocean. He was full of wonders and was calming in times of need. He could tear things apart when angered, able to surprise unsuspecting people. He was a constant. The tears would fall and be washed away, hidden but not forgotten. Keith could cling to him, firing off his flames as he pleased, and not burn the other. Because the ocean cannot be burned. It would only quell the flames to soft coals. 

For the first time in being surrounded by red, Keith allowed blue to cover him. To wash over him. It seeped into his bones and cooled his face. His fist went lax, fabric dropping from his grasp. The crackle of flames quieted, and the void that had been growing in his chest that he was so afraid of began to be filled ever so slightly. 

They could do this. 

**Author's Note:**

> Would anybody be interested in writing commissions? I've been thinking of setting something up, because things have been a bit difficult lately. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys have an awesome day!


End file.
